By Ali Schultz

Mirror Mirror on the wall, who has the greatest happy hour of them all? The Wolf Den, of course! Where else in town can you go and drop five bucks and be toasted? The Wolf Den upholds a reputation as a minor’s drinking paradise. Unfortunately, because of this unlawful reputation, everyone’s favorite little hole in the wall is getting its liquor license revoked.

Trust me, I know what you’re thinking: “What the hell are the freshmen going to do for Thirsty Thursdays now?” Or, “where else in Reno can I get white girl wasted on a broke betch budget?”

Even some of my own fondest, though not proudest, memories took place on the deck of the Wolf Den. I’ve had a few laughs with some great people, displayed my killer dance moves, and now have some great stories to tell thanks to the rooftop.

Despite all of the fun, Lord knows I am not the only one who didn’t know when to cut themselves off from AMFs. One second you find yourself doing the shmooney dance, double fisting during happy hour, and the next you’re on your ass crying on the phone with your ex-boyfriend.

As nice as it was to have a bar in town that felt they shouldn’t discriminate on the basis of age, it is a necessary evil to prevent the establishment from selling of hard liquor. According to Channel 4 local news, numerous people have left the Den with a blood alcohol content around .303, a deadly rate. This is where matters go from fun and games to potentially very dangerous.

The university respects the tradition of the Wolf Den and does not want it to close down by any means. Marcelo Vazquez, associate dean of students believes, “the university wants the Wolf Den to stay, but without the culture of under age and binge drinking.” Wait, there are other forms of drinking other than binge? I have been doing it wrong this whole damn time?

All joking aside, the culture the Wolf Den promoted was not a positive one. Yes, I know I sound like a real boner. But the last thing the Reno community needs is a tragedy. No one wants to see a minor not even make it to their 21st birthday (their real 21st birthday, not the bullshit one on their Florida license via ID Chief).

Unfortunately, many of us just like to pound down those drinks with promising hopes of a good night. Maybe if we drink enough we will actually make it to halftime of a football game or forget the fact that we just tanked our midterms. This mentality can be tremendously dangerous when endless alcohol is available at a steady rate. It is a good thing that the Den is finally getting their license stripped from them before something serious occurs.

It is pretty common knowledge that if you are actually of age, the Den is not your bar of choice. I actually think there is an unwritten rule stating if you attend the Wolf Den and you’re over the age of 19 you have to register as a child predator.

It is obvious the ban of liquor sales will not cease binge drinking, but it will absolutely make hard alcohol less accessible for minors. Without a doubt, these are necessary measures to ensure all our little WolfPackers stay safe.

For some, this will be a sad ending. But others might be pleased to know the ratchet crowd the Den has been recently attracting will subside due to the allowance of the sale of beer and wine only, with no hard liquor.

The Wolf Den happy hour died on March 6, 2015 and is survived by the lovely blonde twins and the nice man who wears berets. Notorious for its good times, many laughs and, best of all, alcohol poisoning for minors, it is safe to say that this shit show will be missed by all. Rest in peace, happy hour.

Ali Schultz studies political science. She can be reached at dcoffey@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @TheSagebrush.